Monday, July 19, 2010

One of my favorite art/design/garden meccas is called Artefact Design and Salvage located in Cornerstone at Sonoma, California. Its an exciting gallery of found art, salvaged finds, garden objects and statuary, plants, books and awe inspiring displays…the entire gallery is a huge expanse of imagination and playful vignettes gone wild!

This designed inspired gallery is visual delight filled with many assemblages and well crafted displays. I am always impressed with the combinations of old, found and new things that make a well crafted vignette…you just can’t stop spending your whole time just seeing all these amazing collections. This hand carved eagle is over ten feet in width alone (you’ll need a very large consol to hold this up)

I can’t stop reaching and trying to touch every display filled with many tactile objects and such beautiful collections that make you ooh and aaaah at every display

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Its seems like the owners here have mastered the technique of display and creative vignettes that tell a story and draw you into this space and want you to take all these treasures home with you…here’s a well honed display of succulents in carved out stone containers, I love the organic touch.

Outside the shop is a huge area of amazing salvaged finds from around the globe, varying from limestone statuary of goddesses to bronzed buddhas and wooden carved emperors, kings along with the ubiquitous lion head fountains.

Back inside I discover this strange collection of headless cupie like dolls, very strange and yet appealing in the right element….I’m not sure if you can plant anything in the containers above the body…what do you think about a succulent?

I find this collection of soup bowls, tea pots and a bulldog so whimsical, it just makes me smile.

I’m very attracted to this buddha and the large petrified wood behind it….fortunately none of this will fit my suitcase or my pocket book for my trip back home!

This place is a real find and design inspiration, I truly hope it makes it during these tough economic times even in fashionable Sonoma, where these unique galleries are disappearing very quickly. I hope to keep visiting this area and still seeing this gallery operating.

If your visiting Sonoma, come visit cornerstone and the Artefact Design and Salvage, I’m sure you will be inspired by this gallery, its a very special place.

Greetings Noel, What an abolutely fascinating place and such a treasure trove of beautiful objects. As you say, the stylish ways in which everything is displayed show some very creative minds at work there. Much inspiration here for both the house and the garden.

Hi, Noel! You always find the most interesting places!! I like the carved out rock containers...very interesting! However, I don't like the headless containers...I'm very weirded out by this. Do you ever sit at home and do nothing?! ;-)

So many wonderful things to tempt. You are quite right, this place should not be lost and hopefully, it'll be operating for many years to come especially these days when everyone is looking for something old and unique.

Aloha, Noel! I just saw your comment on one of my posts from Buffa10 and wanted to return da kine favah, yeah? I spent two plus wonderful years on Oahu and not a day goes by that I don't wish I could be strolling a white sandy beach as I drink my Lion coffee. Instead I play a CD of Hawaiian artists and dream of my next visit. Mahalo nui loa for stopping by my corner of Katy!

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Living in East Hawaii on the Big Island, I am amazed by the multitude of new plant genera that I've started to discover and become addicted to. Come and explore with me in finding new amazing plants, discover the variegated and colorful, rare specimens, developing my garden, garden design, learning about sustainability and just doing the naughty things that a plant fanatic typically won't do in public :)

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Writer, photographer, artist, food fanatic and wanderer,I love to visit and discover new places, exotic food and interesting people along my travels. Being able to explore new environments, cultures and trying something new is something I am passionate about, and sharing my photography and writing is a big part of the joy and creative process.
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